By MEAC Media Relations Intern Noah Goodin
NORFOLK, Va., March 7, 2020--The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) tipped-off the 2020 MEAC Basketball Tournament with the Youth Clinic on Saturday at the Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center.
In its eighth year, the clinic gave the league’s men’s and women’s basketball coaches from all 11 institutions the opportunity to connect and reach out to the youth. That fact was not lost on any of the coaches. It also gave the kids exposure to other schools that they might’ve not been familiar with.
Vanessa Blair-Lewis, coach of the top-seeded Bethune-Cookman women, said, “The end goal is for all these kids to go to college and get a degree.”
Fred Batchelor, the long-time head women’s coach at Maryland Eastern Shore, added, “It’s always good to serve and give back to the community. Our youth are the most important thing we’re dealing with. At the end of the day, we get more from them than they get from us, so it’s a blessing to spend time with them.”
The day started with coaches guiding the children through basic warm-ups, exercises, and basketball fundamentals.
The kids then transitioned to drills in reaction rebounding, taking charges, technique layups, free throws and closeouts. They also played a game of knockout. Each MEAC coach was part of a group of three or four coaches responsible for guiding the respective drills.
The day wrapped up with a skills challenge, which pitted the participants against various coaches and MEAC interns and volunteers.
“Just returning the blessing that was given to us,” North Carolina Central head men’s coach LeVelle Moton said.
iHeart Radio was on site to provide music and entertainment. Participants were given swag bags courtesy of Coca-Cola. They also received basketballs courtesy of R&R Entertainment.